Electrical receptacle and plug.



,724. PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

J. 0. HATZEL &' B. L. MORLEY. ELECTRICAL REGEPTAGLE AND PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED THE. 2, 1904.

INVNTO/SS WITNESSES.

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- tonne. ,HATZEL AND EDGAR MORLEY, OF NEW YORK, Y.

Y i ELECTRICAL REC'EPTAGLE AND PLUG- I Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented rune 19, 1906,

mamas at February 2, 1904. Serial a. 191,734.

Topaz/ll whoht it may concern: Be it known that we, JOHN C. HA'rzELand QEDGAR L. MORLEY,,0ltiZBI1S f the United.

States, residin atNew York, in the county andState of ,ew]York, have invented cerj tain'new and useful Im rovements in Electric'al Receptacles and P ugs; and We do here'- byfdeclare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0 ,the' invention, such 7 as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use'the The, invention relates to improvements in "plug-receptacles for electric circuits; and it 1- 5 consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter described, and particularly pointed'out in the claims.

a The object of the invention is to produce a .receptacle' thearrangement of which is such 2o that no splicing to circuit-wires is'necessary where the receptacle is not connected to the end-of a circuit, the four bindingposts being provided so that the circuit-wires can be cut and attacheiljtothe receptacle proper, avoidingthe necessity of a tap, withthe possibility of a tap being oorly lnsulatedby-careless ;--wor'kmen,-wh1c is particularly the casein iron outlet-boxes, where the taps are apt to be jammed back into'the' iron box. v 0- Furthermore, the .object is to produce a plug. withrwhich it is an absolute impossibility 'to' short-circuit the receptacle when inflfp'serting the plug, as is the case with a great many receptacles and'plugs now on the mar- 5 .ket and where in an iron conduit system the face-plates of such receptacles are necessarily in metallic connection with the iron box and ironconduitsystem. 'With this plug and re- I ceptacle it is impossible to make contact with 4o. theplate and'one of the contacts ofv the tennis nals' and the receptacle 'atthe same time,

- thereby creating a possibility of a short 'c ir wit. .u I ,Finally, theobject of this invention is to provide (an im rov'ed device, of this class which willbe re' atively simple and inexpen-' siive'in construction, convenient in installation, unobstructive', and neat in appearance 'and generally superior in point of'efficiency 50. and adaptab e to varying conditions of use. In the drawin s, F1gure1 represents alon- 1 1 gitudinal vertica sectionof our improved receptacle with the" plug-in" osition. Fig.2 represents a plan view of the same. Fig.3

5 5 represents a vertical cross-section taken on- The receptacle (2 is so lines to :c in Fig. Fig. 4 represents an exterior end View of the receptacle with the plug inposition, ,Figs. 5 and 6 represent, respec-' tively, a side and end view of our improved plu ;and Fi 7 represents a lan View of-the 6o un er side 0 our improved'p ug.

a, designates a receptacle, of porcelain or other non-conducting material; I), the plug, removably located within said receptacle, andc, in dotted lines, the outer face-plate adapted to be secured to said receptacle and also to thewall, floor, or'other su port to which the receptacle may be applies.

The receptacle a is preferably rectan ular vided with the recessed end extension a Secured within the rece tacle a, upon theshoulders a,- by means 0 the countersunk screws 0/ a are the L-shaped contact-springs contactzlplates e and e are each providedwith twobin ing-screws f and f whlch receive the ends ofthe main wires and fare in electrical connection with the'contact-s rings d and'd;

The lates e and e are provided with the inwar projections e" for the purpose of limiting the inward thrust of the plug 12, as hereinafter described. The contact-s rings (1 and d are in the form of L-shaped p ates extenda .ing from beneath the contact-plates e and e downward and outward along the inner wall pf the receptacle ato bear upon the corres on%in'g contact {springs connectedto the p T e receptacle a has at its'upper opposite 0 rojections' are ends projections h It, which I provided near each corner wit an 0 en 'slet V ftlettered g, g, g, and 9 through w 'ch the I screws '1' and t. The outer facep ate 0 is socured to said metallic plates any well- 10 known manner. 1

constructed that it can be insta ed in any ofr'the standard switch outlet-boxes in use on the market in outline, as shownin the drawlngs, an pro 7o d d'- and the contact-plates e and e; The 75 desira le wire connections h and h" are meeither by securing the metallic plates h h to 1 1o the lugs on the said boxes or by reversing the screws i i and screwing the same into the lugs within the said boxes.

The plug 1) is made of porcelain or. other suitable non-conducting material and is of rectangular outline, adapted to closely fit within the mouth of the rece tacle a. The outer end or face of the plug ii has a central tubular rojection j, which is provided with a centraForifice k. The orifice 7c terminates in a central cavity or bowl-shaped recess Z a short distance below the tubular projection. Two sides of the plugb are recessed for the reception of the outwardly and u wardly flaring contact-springs m and m, W ich, together with the contact-plates n and n, are held in position by means of the countersunk screws 0 and o. The contact-plates n and n are each provided with a binding-screw, (lettered p and p.)

The insulated conducting-wires are passed through the central orifice k, and both pieces are knotted together, and the endsof the conducting-wires are clamped under the heads of the binding-screws p and 1), after which the two wires are pulled through the central orifice 70 until the knot is firrnl seated in the bowl-shaped recess or cavity gthereby serving as a stop to prevent the breaking of the connections with the binding-screws, which might otherwise occur should an accidental are the i strain be exerted 011 said wires. Q and recesses formed in the opposite sides oi- )lug b to form convenient gripping-surfaces ior the fingers during the insertion of the plug into and its withdrawal from the receptacle a.

The recesses in the two sides of the plug 1) for the reception of the contact-springs m and m and the recess in the bottom are formed by the projecting flanges r, r, and 7,

designed to engagewith the inner Walls of the provision is made for a large area of contact i etween the contact-springs d and 'm and d and m, respectively, and inasmuch as the springs d and 1 form a tapered space within t e box and the springs m and m form a structure of wedge or tapered shape it will be obvious that perfect contact of large area is obtained, and when withdrawing the lug from the receptacle a quick break is ad, whereby danger of arcing is obviated.

By the structure above described it will be obvious that tap-wires areunnecessary, as the main conducting-wires may be cut adjacent to the receptacle and the four ends of said wires secured to the four binding posts or screws f f, respectively. However, we do not wish to be understood as implying that tap-wires cannot be used in connection with our device, for it is clear that a tap-wire could be led from each of the main wires to the binding-screws ff through the slots g whereby a com lete and 0 erative circuit could be closed y means 0 the above-described lug.

It will be understood that the special construction and arrangements and combinations of parts herein shown are given only to illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, and hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact details of construction herein shown, as the same may be varied in practice without departing from the Scope 0 our invention. i Having thus described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. An electrical receptacle having a recessed extension at each end adjacent to its open side, each extension provided with slots, a contact-spring secured in each recess, the free end of each spring projecting into the interior of the receptacle, means in connection with each contact-spring for securing a circuit-wire directly thereto, whereby the use of intervening tap-wires is avoided.

2. An electrical receptacle comprising an oblong box made of insulating material, open on its upper side, extensions provided with recesses and open slots located at the ends of the open side of said box, L-shaped contactsprings secured in said recesses and project ing inwardly into the body of the box, contact-plates restingv upon said springs means for securing said plates and springs within said recesses, means for securing the ends of circuit-wires to said plates, a plug for said receptacle, said plug having oppositely-disposed pole-pieces for contact withv the L- shaped springs of said rece tacle.

3. An electrical receptac e, comprising an" oblong porcelain box open upon its upper side, recessed extensions rovided with open slots on the upper side 0? said box, contact plates and springs secured in said recessed extensions, said springs extending into said box, means for securing circuit-wires to said contact-plates, and a plug for said receptacle, said plug having contact -springs secured upon its opposite sides for contact with the contact-springs of said rece tacle.

4. An electrical receptac e comprising an oblong porcelain box open upon its upper side, recessed extensions located at the ends of the open side of said box, two 0 en slots leading from the outer side of each 0 said recessed extensions, means for securing circuitwires in said recessed extensions, and a plug having leading-out wires and contact-springs I for insertion into the open side of said box,

5. An electrical receptacle consisting of an oblong hollow box, provided with recessed extensions on the opposite ends of its open side, two open slots in each of the said recessed extenslons, and means for securing electrical connections in said recessed exten-- slons, such connectlons leading out through saido en slots. 1 g 6. electrical receptacle comprising an oblong box made of insulating material, open extensions provided with recesses and open slots located at the ends' of b on its upper side,

7 the open side of said box, L-shaped contactsprings secured in said recesses andprojecting inwardly into the body of the box, contact-platesresting upon said springs, means for securing said plates .and springs within said recesses, and means for secur the ends of cirouit wires to said plates.

7. An electrical receptacle'comprising an oblong porcelain box open .upon its upper Harside, recessed extensions located atthe ends voi" the'o en side of said box, two open slots contact-plates.

1 This specification signed-and-witness ed'this 5 25th day of January, 1904; a w I I JOHN (J. HAT'ZEL.-'

EDGAR L'MORLEY.

ox, means for securing circuit-wires to said a 

